Last week, I wrote a couple of articles focusing on the Boeing 777X: one about the airlines that have already ordered the 777X and a follow-up that examined the legacy B777 operators that have chosen not to order the 777X and why. A crucial part of the second article focuses on the impact that the Airbus A350 is having on 777X orders and how notable carriers like Delta Air Lines, Air France, and Turkish Airlines have abandoned the 777X in favor of the A350. In the comments of the latter article, one of our esteemed readers (and likely a Boeing fan) said, “Now do one for legacy A330 operators that opted for the B787 as a replacement.
” That is an excellent idea. So let’s look at five high-profile, legacy Airbus A330 operators that have chosen the Boeing 787 as its replacement. 1 American Airlines Legacy A330s 24 (15 -200; 9 -300) Current B787s 59 (37 -8; 21 -9; +25 on order) American Airlines acquired 24 A330s via its 2013 merger with US Airways, which gave it the largest Airbus fleet in the world at the time.
Given that FAA approval of the merger hinged on operating the former US Airways hubs for a minimum of five years, American chose not to disrupt the network too much, and for years the A330s were used almost exclusively on transatlantic routes from the legacy US Airways hubs in Philadelphia (PHL) and Charlotte (CLT). But the writing was on the wall for the A330. While American Airlines quickly absorbed the Airbus narrowbodies from US Airways, subsequently placing its.